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Developments:
It's my last day in India before leaving for Singapore and then South Africa. Overall, the country seems to be making progress. The economy is growing fast, many Indians are integrating seamlessly into global job markets, and new technologies are being adopted and adapted with enthusiasm. Politically, democracy is still strong, though many perceive a serious threat to it from the more hardline elements of the Hindu right, with the massacres of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 - which the BJP were either directly involved in or, at the very least, did nothing to stop - the most worrying evidence of this move towards totalitarianism.
The biggest problems remain social. At a conference on Sexuality and Rights I attended in Pune last month, the low status of women and the widespread discrimination against sex workers and people who do not conform to the ideal Hindu heterosexual norm were strongly highlighted. The astounding number of people sleeping on the streets or on their cycle rickshaws when I arrived in Old Delhi at 5pm last Sunday morning is another indicator of how far India has to go to become a more inclusive society. And the desperate state of roads, electricity, sewage, housing and water in most of the country mean that any reforming government will need to make huge efforts to effect only small changes.
It is still, however, a fascinating country with a lot going for it. Family ties are close, religion is a constant source of comfort to many, and there is a thriving and innovative non-governmental sector which offers some hope that the benefits of globalisation will begin to be spread more widely. And they're even beating Pakistan in the cricket!
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